| Jarvey
Join Date: May 2008 Location: Leicester, UK
Posts: 567
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Krysta Hedwig
Sixth Year | 
Chapter 27, Part 4
The girls screamed again as Sirius transformed into his human form, dropping to his knee besides Sharon.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, fixing Ron with a look that said to get to the point.
"Dracus." Ron replied, his answer short and to the point.
"Which one?" asked Sirius.
"Take your pick." Ron muttered glumly. Sirius looked up in alarm.
"Hugo got out of the chamber?" he asked, barely hiding the panic in his voice. Ron shrugged.
"Not when I last saw, but he and Caeleb were knocking the hell out of each other when I last saw them. No idea who came out on top." Ron explained quickly. Sirius looked thunderstruck.
"It always kicks off when I'm not around." He muttered. "Where's Harry?" he asked not bothering to hide the concern.
"In the chamber."
"What?" he cried out in horror. "You left him there?" he asked, anger touching his tone. Ron held up his hands in defence.
"He insisted. Hermione and Ginny decided to stay and play super-witches. He couldn't leave them there. I didn't want to leave either, but we had to get Sharon out of there." He began explaining talking quickly before Sirius could berate him further. Sirius was visibly taking all of the information in.
Finally he nodded and returned his attention to the bleeding child on the floor. He saw the wound and cursed under his breath.
"What happened to her?"
"It was an accident. Hermione…the dagger slipped." Ron tried to explain, not wanting to go into the particulars of what happened in defence of Hermione. He didn't fancy arguing for her right now. Sirius looked up sharply though.
"Dagger? What dagger?" he demanded, his voice stern. "Was it about this big, very sharp with twisted blades interlocking?" he asked, holding his hands about a foot apart from each other. Ron nodded. Sirius had described the weapon perfectly.
Sirius cursed again and looked at the wound helplessly.
"There's nothing I can do for her. This wound won't heal." He announced and the look on the twins face said they were thinking: 'well duh!'
"We know we've tried." Ron replied throwing his brothers a warning look. The girls were still cowering behind them watching the dark man with fear. It was clear they had recognised him.
"Oh you don't need to worry about that, Sirius dear boy."
The voice chilled them all to the bone. Above them half way down the staircase was Caeleb. He seemed to be hovering in mid air, a fire burning in his eyes.
"You." Sirius announced in a low, solemn voice.
"In the flesh." Caeleb replied, taking a sarcastic bow towards the man. Sirius rose steadily to his feet. "Sorry Father couldn't make it…he had an appointment with the blades of Natherra." He informed them, his eyes dancing with glee and triumph. Sirius' eyes widened in surprise.
"Hermione?" he asked, sounding awed. Caeleb descended the stairs a few steps and gave Sirius a matter of fact look.
"Actually no. It was young Miss Weasley. Now there's a turn up for the books, eh Sirius? Didn't see that coming, poor Daddy." He chuckled and Sirius' jaw dropped.
"Ginny?" he gasped, his voice barely audible. The Weasley boys exchanged looks of shock and just a hint of pride. Ron couldn't believe it. His baby sister had put an end to the reign of the most feared Vampire to have ever cursed the earth with his presence. His head was swimming struggling to process the news.
Sirius was shaking his head in disbelief and Caeleb chuckled again.
"I know, I thought the same thing, Sirius." Sirius was still shaking his head in disbelief and Ron couldn't help feel a little offended. Why was it so hard to believe that his sister was capable of such a thing?
"Ginny?" Sirius asked again and this time Fred and George also looked a little annoyed. "With the blades of Natherra?" he asked. Caeleb merely smiled and continued his descent down the staircase.
"I see you didn't see that coming either." He began. "I wonder if dear Krysta knew. I wouldn't be surprised. She has a nasty habit of not telling you everything doesn't she, Sirius?"
That comment had been enough to jolt Sirius out of the dream-like state he had been in.
"Yeah." He muttered, his tone bitter.
"Now I'd love to stay and chat about old times, but if you'll just hand over the girl I'll be on my way." He said casually moving towards them, but Sirius stood firmly in his way.
"Move, boy."
"Not a chance."
"I have business with my little sister here, stay out of it Black." He hissed.
"You said you'd leave, you promised. You said as long as your Father…" began Ron beginning to panic.
"My Father is no longer with us, child, I'd say that deal is rather void wouldn't you?"
"You're not taking her." Sirius insisted, standing firm.
"Don't be foolish, Sirius." Bellowed Caeleb his manner suddenly becoming angry and agitated.
"You couldn’t keep me from your daughter, do you really think you can keep me from this girl?" asked Caeleb dismissively. Sirius however did not take the comment about his daughter so lightly.
He threw himself at the vampire, swearing and cursing the vampire to hell.
Sparks flew around the room but the battle was short-lived. Despite his anger-driven strength, the man no match for the vampire and Sirius was thrown against a pillar with such force, his mortal human body could not take the impact. He crumpled to the floor where he lay unmoving.
"Sirius!" cried Harry in horror and panic. He and the girls had arrived in the entrance hall just in time to see his Godfather flung through the air and smashed unconscious against the stone column. All three of them turned to the small group of people in the middle of the room below them and Ginny gasped in horror as Caeleb advance towards the practically unconscious girl on the ground.
"Harry, do something!" cried Hermione. He stared at her angrily.
"You're the super-witch vampire killer!" he cried back.
"You're the hero!" she argued.
"No, I'm the champion, not the hero…a hero…"
"Stop arguing and do something!" cut in Ginny who was already halfway down the stairs.
They took after her immediately but Caeleb had already sent Ron and the twins scattering with another powerful hex. Ron moaned as he tried to pick himself up. Harry reached him and Ron accepted the hand he offered.
They were too late. Sharon's tiny body was lifted effortlessly by the vampire as though she were a paper doll.
"So, so sweet." Caeleb murmured taking in deep breaths of her blood-scent. He lowered his head towards her bleeding throat, his lips just inches from the wound. Hermione and Ginny were gripping each other, Harry and Ron looking and feeling helpless as Caeleb went in for the kill.
"Caeleb No!"
Nine heads turned together in one direction and several gasps escaped lips in the room. Caeleb lifted his head to face the newcomer who had so rudely interrupted him. He turned towards the figure standing in the open doorway her hand outstretched towards the vampire and the girl hanging lifelessly in his arms.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and Hermione looked about ready to crack open the champagne.
"Put her down, Caeleb." Krysta repeated slowly and calmly, her voice unthreatening. Caeleb studied her with interest and for a moment and Harry actually though he was going to do as he was told.
Harry noticed she was dressed just as she was the last time he'd seen her: all in black, the belt at her waist missing only the dagger which Hermione now held. Her hair flowed wildly around her shoulder and she appeared out of breath, yet somehow composed and in control.
"She's dying." Caeleb announced. Krysta didn't flinch or react in anyway and when she spoke, her voice remained calm and deep, almost soothing.
"Let her be."
"I would have let her live…but there's no hope for her now. I may as well have her." He replied and Harry could see they were bargaining. Caeleb did not see her as the enemy and spoke to her as an equal, someone he had to explain his actions to.
"As long as blood flows there is hope, you know that, Caeleb." Krys told him gently. Caeleb looked put out.
"But she smells so good…" he whispered moving his lips towards Sharon's throat once more.
"No! Caeleb listen…" Krys cried, the panic finally beginning to show. Caeleb grinned, gloating over the reaction he'd invoked.
"…let her go." She repeated. "Let her go…and you can have me."
This got the vampires attention and a new lust entered his eyes.
"You?" he spoke the word more to himself than to her, mulling the idea over. In his arms Sharon was gently slipping out of his grasp and he let her slump to the floor in a heap at his feet. Harry's heart was racing.
"I'll give you me…if you leave the others alone." She repeated her offer and after a slight pause the vampire held out his pale, thin hand to his sister. She returned the gesture reaching out and moving forward to take his hand.
"No." groaned Sirius. Harry snapped around to find his Godfather staggering towards them from the spot he'd been lying in.
"I have to." Krys explained, not even looking at the man.
"No, Krys. There has to be another way."
Krysta turned to look at him then looked back at Caeleb.
"Let me say goodbye." She asked softly. Caeleb's eyes narrowed but he nodded once signifying his agreement. The woman stepped away towards Harry and the others. She stopped before Hermione and reached behind her neck. She unclasped her Necklace and let it drop into Hermione palm.
"This belongs to you now, Hermione. It became yours the day you were born, the day my daughter died. Take care of it…and it will take care of you."
"But the other necklace…" Hermione said, her voice breaking and tears welling in her eyes. "Lily's necklace…who does it belong to?" the girl asked and Krysta smiled.
“I think you already know." With that she touched Hermione softly on the shoulder and turned to face Ron and Harry.
"The Hero and the Champion." She said with a sad smile. "Take care of them for me. They really need you now." She said pulling Ron into a hug. She stopped when she saw the look on Harry's face. She leant forward and kissed his forehead. "It will soon start to make sense, Harry. I promise." She stroked his head and finally turned to Sirius.
He was shaking his head gently in disbelief looking down at the floor then back up at her. She reached out to touch his face but he avoided her touch.
"Sirius." He refused to look her in the eye, his expression a composite of pain, disbelief and anger.
"No." he muttered.
"Sirius, listen. It has to be this way you know that. You've always known that." She suddenly reached up to hold his chin in between her fingers and her thumb, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Sirius, you have to trust me." She spoke in a deep, meaningful voice. He looked at her, his eyes searching hers. Something seemed to click in him and his expression softened. Some unspoken communication was occurring between them.
"Trust me." She said again. This time he nodded and she took a step back. She turned back towards Caeleb and took a deep breath. She shook herself and Hermione gasped but Sirius kicked her and she fell silent. Harry stared at them wondering what was going on. Had Hermione seen something the others hadn't?
"Ok, Caeleb. I'm all yours." She announced calmly moving slowly towards the vampire. Something was mesmerising Harry. It was the way she was moving, slinking across the room, her hips swaying smoothly. He couldn't put his finger on what it was but there was something…something was different.
Caeleb took Krys' hand and pulled her close to him tilting her head back and to one side exposing her neck to him. Her skin seemed to shimmer and Harry swore he could actually see her pulse beating…beating remarkably faster than was normal.
The vampire raised a hand and ran a long, sharp nail across her throat. A paper-thin line of blood appeared across the white flesh and the vampire took a moment to breathe in the scent.
Harry couldn't watch and Hermione buried her face in Ron's shoulder as Caeleb lowered his face to drink.
They didn't know how long they all stood there watching. It was as if they were hypnotised, none of them making a move to stop the atrocity before them.
Caeleb drank deeply from the neck of his descendant, relishing the flavour of her blood as it filled him, satisfying his hunger like no other blood ever could.
She thrashed around, moaning in pain crying out when he drank a little too deeply. It felt like forever. If it was possible her skin became even paler as her life force was drained from her veins.
After what must have been forever she released one last gasp of pain and her previously shut tight eyes flew open staring into space in shock. Caeleb released her neck and almost threw her to the ground roaring in triumph and ecstasy as he felt her blood flowing inside him, replenishing his own twisted life force.
He looked around at the people watching in horror, all huddled together watching him in disbelief.
Krys whimpered and Caeleb looked down at her a sadistic grin on his face. She wasn't quite dead but she wasn't far. Her body spasmed and shook, tiny gasps escaping her lips as she held on to the last threads of her life.
"How did she taste?" asked Sirius suddenly shocking everyone. Caeleb turned to look at him smiling.
"Like honey…soo sweet." He said dreamily, licking his lips and rubbing his hands over his stomach.
"Really? Funny. I didn't think you'd like it."
"Come, now Sirius. A vampire likes to try new things every now and then, don't they Caeleb?" asked Hermione a strange triumphant look suddenly appearing on her face.
"What are you talking about?" asked Caeleb looking confused all of a sudden. He was now clutching his stomach and looking for all the world as if he were in pain.
"What's wrong, Caeleb you don't look so good?" asked Hermione again.
"You're right, Hermione, he doesn't. You look like you ate something that disagreed with you." Sirius added a grin appearing on his face. Caeleb was now bent double, gripping his gut, his face twisted in pain.
Harry looked sideways at Hermione and Sirius. What did they know that he and the others didn't? What was wrong with Caeleb?
Next to him Ginny had gasped and gripped his and Ron's arms.
"Look." She said pointing at the almost lifeless body of Krys. Her eyes were wide open and Harry saw what Ginny had seen and what Sirius and Hermione had obviously seen before. Her eyes were not human. The yellow and black orbs of a panther stared back at him and Harry noticed for the first time the faint smile that played on her blue, bloodless lips.
Caeleb had dropped to the floor practically helpless as the feline blood raced through his body poisoning him. There was nothing he could do about it, nothing that could be done. Nothing could save him.
Harry thought back to the book Neville had read out loud to them when they had all been trapped in the Chamber 6 months earlier. Vampires could only sustain human blood. Any other would poison them, leaving their bodies a wreck, doomed to live in pain and hunger, wasting away forever. The eternal death Caeleb had intended to bring upon his Father was now destined to be his own fate.
Harry stared down at the woman still shaking on the floor, her eyes blinking slowly. He felt nothing but admiration for her. It was genius, pure genius. Somehow she had half transfigured into her animagus form, keeping her appearance and body that of a human whilst somehow turning just her blood into that of the great cat. It was incredible.
He was snapped out of his trance when suddenly Krys gasped and shuddered. A raspy mumble was coming from her lips and instantly he dropped to one knee beside her. The others quickly gathered around her, Caeleb temporarily forgotten. Somehow they managed to make out a word. She was asking for Hermione, who quickly moved forward. Krys raised a hand as though it was weighed down with lead and reached up to Hermione's throat. For a second Harry panicked wondering what on earth the woman was doing. She surprised them all by suddenly shooting the other hand out towards Ginny.
They all relaxed however when they realised what she was doing. She pulled the pendants out from under the girls' clothing and gripped them both in her hands.
Hermione immediately began fumbling in her pocket to produce the third and final pendant, which she forced into Krys' hand. The woman now held all three talismans and something remarkable was happening. Although she still lay weak on the ground the wound on her neck had begun to heal.
Ginny gasped as she and the others saw the pendants all glowing in her hands, the veins in her arms illuminating and spreading down into the wrists and arms, making them glow. Slowly strength was returning to her. After just a few minutes her eyes were wide open and Harry could see the muscles in her upper arms flexing as she tightened them. Her skin tone acquired a delicate pink hue and soon she was sitting upright breathing deeply.
Finally she let go of the pendants and they fell back against Ginny's and Hermione's chest. The third pendant Hermione tried to push back into Krys' hand but the woman shook her head.
"No. It's yours." She gasped, her voice still recovering. "Sharon." She suddenly added her voice panicked, her face full of alarm.
"Oh Lord." Exclaimed Sirius, his joy at Krys' recovery short-lived when he realised they'd completely forgotten about her.
He and Harry rushed over to where the girl was lying, gasping for air. Ron was helping Krys to her feet and they quickly joined them, Krys still very shaky.
"You need to get her to the Lake. Harry, Ron quickly." She ordered. Sirius was giving Krys a strange look, which she was doing a very good job of not noticing. Harry and Ron didn't stop to ask questions, they knew better than that when it came to this woman. Between them they hoisted Sharon to her feet and, sharing her weight, made their way quick as they could to the lake outside with Ginny and Hermione close behind.
"Wait!" Krys suddenly called after them. They all stopped and turned to look at her. She held out her hand.
"Hermione, the dagger." She ordered. Hermione looked surprised for a moment but quickly ran back and placed the weapon carefully in Krys' palm. The two women locked eyes for a second and then Hermione turned on her heel and disappeared out of the front door with her friends.
*
Krys turned to Sirius who was still looking at her strangely. He looked at the dagger she was gently caressing in her fingers like she was greeting an old friend.
"You know it was Ginny that stuck that thing through Hugo's chest, don't you?" he asked. She didn't look up but a smile touched her lips. "You don't seem surprised." He added. She shook her head. "You already knew didn't you?" he asked and she finally looked up at him.
"Yes, I knew." Sirius widened his eyes.
"How long have you known?"
"The moment I met her. And when she started channelling Amy…I realised when her birth-date was…I did the Math." She explained and Sirius smiled faintly.
"Do you think she knows?" he asked and Krys shook her head.
"No. I think Hermione is beginning to put two and two together though. The time loop for instance and again - Amy. The Arinella reacted very strongly to Ginny apparently." Krys said looking up at Sirius.
"The Arinella?" he asked, his confusion obvious.
"When the Nightwraith attacked Hermione it got trapped inside the Arinella. Whenever she goes anywhere near it, it goes berserk. Hermione didn't understand why but she told me that it reacted the same way whenever Ginny went near it." She explained. Sirius let out a long whistle.
"Who sent the Nightwraith after them? Was it Voldemort?" he asked. Krys shook her head.
"It was Caeleb. He couldn't bring himself to end their lives himself so he got some demon to do it for him." She looked down at Caeleb's writhing body on the floor a few feet away. "He was always such a coward." She added. Sirius snorted his agreement.
"Do you think they've worked out who Heather is yet? She's had quite a job covering for herself…and you." He commented folding his hands across his chest. Krys again shook her head.
"I think Harry's beginning to notice something's going on. Luckily for Heather the shock of discovering about Amy has taken precedence in his mind. Hermione already knows." She replied and Sirius nodded thoughtfully.
"So what now?" he asked, his voice soft. She was silent for a while, watching Caeleb writhing in pain.
"There's a battle ahead." She replied. "They have no idea what's coming." She added, her voice distant. Sirius moved closer to her.
"Maybe that's for the best." He said gently kissing the top of her head. She sighed and leant against him for a few seconds. He stroked the back of her head gently and closed his eyes.
"You better get to the lake. See if they've managed to save my niece's life yet." He said and she pulled back just enough to look up at his face.
"Will you be here when I get back?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
"No." she replied, her voice soft and apologetic.
"It's ok." He replied. He released her and she took a step back from him. He made to head for the door.
"I better get going." He said backing away from her not wanting to turn away. He didn't know when or if he'd see her again. She nodded, her emotions parallel with his. As Sirius disappeared from view she looked down at the dagger in her hands and her expression darkened. Her eyes met with Caeleb's and he knew what was coming. She moved closer to him and dropped on one knee in front of him before speaking.
"There's something I have to do."
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